Even a child, Toju was quiet and shy, overlooked in favour of his older brothers. Never the most intelligent or the strongest of the family, Toju was expected to take a position as a tutor or minor diplomat. On the Day of Choosing, Toju's prowess as a shugenja was revealed. While others could only perform minor tricks with the fire, Toju made its embers glow with white heat, and its flames to grow towards the skies. Afterwards, Toju was immediately inducted into the Kitsu Shugenja School, and despite his stutter he began to learn the proper rituals to honor the ancestors correctly. [1]

Toju's great spiritual power led him to become Kitsu familydaimyo and head of the Kitsu Sodan Senzo school. [1] He was not a charismatic leader, but he was well-loved, and had maintained the family honor and wealth. [3]

Toju was a nervous, painfully shy and withdrawn person in his daily life. He bundled himself in thick robes, and was prone to jerky, self-conscious movements. He suffered from a stutter that prevented him from speaking at any length without embarrassing pauses as he tried to find his voice. While performing rituals, however, he was an entirely different man, powerful and passionate with a certain voice and bold, flowing movements. Those who had not seen him performing his shugenja duties tended to underestimate him. [4] Toju had a quiet but firm reverence for his ancestors. [5]